When the NFL was putting together the schedule during the offseason I bet they didn’t think this week’s Monday night matchup would showcase two sub-.500 teams.

The New York Jets have won two in a row to put them at 6-7, while the Tennessee Titans have lost their last three and come into this game with a 4-9 record.

The Jets are by no means out of the playoff chase, but they need help. That help begins with the guys in their own locker room. They need to win out and then the rest is out of their hands.

There’s no reason for the Jets to get fancy this week. They stuck to what they do best last Sunday and it worked out for them. The offense needs to establish a running game early and continue to pound it the rest of the way. Tennessee ranks 24th in run defense so if they give Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell enough carries they should be able to give this offense a spark.

The Titans also like to run the ball, but star running back Chris Johnson has been up and down the entire season. At any moment he can break one out for a huge gain, so the Jets’ defense needs to do a great job of containing Johnson by not allowing him to get outside.

Jake Locker is a young quarterback who is prone to making mistakes. The key is to get pressure on him and force him to make poor decisions. If New York makes Locker beat them they should be in a good position to win.

Now, of course, in order to win they need solid play out of their own quarterback. Mark Sanchez has to play mistake free football. The Jets will most likely minimize the amount of times he throws it, so when he is called upon to sling the ball Sanchez needs to keep it simple and make the correct reads. Easier said than done.

This is another winnable game for New York, they just need to go out and perform. No more talking. Just get it done.